Band:	Forced Entry
Album:	Uncertain Future
Style:	Thrash metal
Release date:	June 30, 1989
Guest review by:	K✞ulu

01. Bludgeon
02. Kaleidoscope Of Pain
03. A Look Through Glass
04. Anaconda
05. Octoclops
06. Unrest They Find
07. Morgulon
08. Foreign Policy
09. Miasma [Century Media re-issue bonus]
10. Sore [Century Media re-issue bonus]
11. Soul Train [Century Media re-issue bonus]
12. Licking My Wound [Century Media re-issue bonus]

Uncertain Future is one of my favorite technical thrash albums of the first wave, with sharply changing riffs, key signatures, syncopated drumming, and some real unpredictability in their song structures.

These overlooked Seattle-based thrashers remind me of quite an array of bands. On the first three songs (and pretty much throughout the whole album), the band that comes to mind the most is the early Testament. The raw production on this album is similar to the one on New World Order. Forced Entry also sometimes add those clean passages with melodic soloing on top akin to that on Testament's "Eerie Inhabitants." Besides, vocal delivery most often resembles Chuck Billy's gruff voice and his style of dragging out the end of the line. In other instances, one can hear some groovier parts à la Prong and later era Coroner or the fun, upbeat riffage of Anthrax (for instance, a catchy riff in the middle of "Foreign Policy").

Despite all the bands that come to mind when listening to Uncertain Future, it does not really sound derivative. On this album, Forced Entry managed to mold their own sound playing a distinctly technical form of thrash. It would also be senseless to point out which song brings to mind which band because these guys really cram a lot of ideas into one song, and they just do that very skillfully. What I specifically like about this album, though, is that despite the obvious desire to sound more complex than regular thrash, this band retains the sense of direction and their music does not turn into a pile of unrelated riffs.

Uncertain Future is a definition of a solid (thrash) album. You've got:

1. Good songwriting: these songs stick with you and you can actually headbang to them.
2. Versatility owing to myriads of riffs, changing tempos, and the use of acoustic passages.
3. Excellent technique: non-trivial rhythm section and very good original soloing.

I don't really know what else you need here. If you don't know this band, definitely give Uncertain Future a try: it might have some weaker spots, but you will definitely find some really interesting thrash here.